


Baby-Sitting Woes

by deadhuntress



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Baby-sitting, First Kiss, Fluff, M/M, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Oblivious Dean, Requited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-28
Updated: 2016-07-28
Packaged: 2018-07-27 08:05:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7610203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadhuntress/pseuds/deadhuntress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Sam calls one day and asks Dean to baby-sit his daughter for a day, Dean doesn't mind at all. He loves his niece, and his best friend and roommate Castiel is there to help. But why do people keep mistaking him and Cas for a couple?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Baby-Sitting Woes

After practically raising his little brother Sam, Dean Winchester was pretty good at taking care of children – he could change a diaper, calm a screaming infant, or entertain a bored toddler with the best of them, and enjoyed doing so. This was something Sam knew and appreciated, so when Dean got an exhausted phone call at nine-thirty on a Saturday morning, he wasn’t surprised when Sam practically begged him to let them visit so that Dean could watch his daughter Mason for the day, and maybe Sunday too if Dean didn’t mind. Dean didn’t mind at all; he loved Sam and his wife Jess (and knew they deserved a break) and loved his niece as well. And between baby-sitting and regular visits, Dean was pretty used to having her at his apartment, so he had enough toys and supplies for it to not be any trouble.

When Sam and Jess arrived at Dean’s place, Sam had been very relieved and glad to have someone else watching Mason for the weekend, and Dean could see why. Mason was seven months old and teething, which meant that she was crying more than usual and being fussier about eating. Sam and Jess were understandably exhausted and craving a moment’s rest (Dean guessed they would be spending most of the weekend holed up in the guest bedroom sleeping), so Dean took the sleeping girl from Jess and carried her to the living room, dropping the diaper bag by the doorway. His best friend and roommate Cas was sitting on the sofa reading and looked up when Dean walked in.

“How is she?” Cas asked quietly as Dean sat down, carefully cradling Mason as he did so.

“Sleeping,” Dean said just as quietly as Cas pulled back the blanket slightly to gaze at her as she slept. Cas was used to Mason being around – being Dean’s best friend for so long meant that he was also very close to Dean’s family, and Dean knew he loved Mason as much as anyone. “You wouldn’t believe the look of relief on Sam and Jess’ faces when they showed up and I took her,” he said. “From what I can tell, she spent all morning and most of the night fussing, and they had to take turns walking around with her to calm her down. She only just fell asleep.”

“She probably finally tired herself out,” Cas said with a chuckle.

“Probably,” Dean agreed, turning the TV on and the volume down so he could watch something as Cas returned to his book. After about an hour, Dean could feel himself getting hungry. His stomach growled embarrassingly and Cas looked at the clock.

“Lunchtime,” he noted.

“We barely have any food, though,” Dean replied, switching Mason to his other side.

“Well, we could order a pizza now and then go to the store later,” Cas suggested with a shrug.

Dean nodded. “Good idea.”

Twenty minutes later, the doorbell rang, and Dean got up to answer it, still holding Mason in his arms. She had just woken up and was still sleepy-eyed but luckily not crying. He pulled open the door and reached for his wallet before remembering he had left it in the living room.

“Uh, hold on a sec,” he said to the delivery girl then turned around. “Hey, Cas,” he called as loudly as he dared. “Can you grab my wallet? It’s on the coffee table.”

Cas appeared a few seconds later, pulling some bills out to hand to the girl. “Thanks,” she said, taking the money and handing the box to Cas. “And by the way,” she added with a smile, “you two have an adorable daughter.”

Dean frowned in confusion, then realized she was referring to Mason. “Oh, we’re not – I mean, she’s not ours. We’re just baby-sitting,” he stammered.

“Oh.” The girl flushed. “I’m sorry, you just seemed like – never mind, sorry.”

After she left, Dean turned to Cas. “That was weird,” he said, but Cas was just giving him a strange look that he couldn’t decipher. “What?” he asked, but Cas just shook his head.

“Nothing. Let’s just go eat,” he said, turning and walking away. Dean stared at him for a second, then shrugged and followed him to the kitchen.

\---

A few hours later, Dean and Cas were walking through the grocery store, Dean picking out the things they needed as Cas pushed the cart and tried to sneak in random items that they had no need for, like the suspiciously squishy white stuff that Cas was currently holding.

“Tofu? Are you kidding me, Cas? Who do I look like, Sam?”

“Well, he is your brother, Dean.” Dean just stared until Cas relented, putting the package back with the others with a long-suffering look at Mason, who was gnawing contentedly on a teething ring.

Five minutes later, Dean looked in the cart to find a watermelon he’d never seen before sitting between the milk and the spaghetti. Cas just shrugged and gazed at him innocently with wide blue eyes as Dean picked it up and returned it to where it belonged. When he returned, Cas was talking to a woman Dean had never seen before. He looked at Cas in confusion, and Cas explained that she’d noticed that Mason had dropped her blanket and come over to give it back to them. Cas had thanked her gratefully and she’d told him that they looked remarkably well-rested for new parents.

“But actually, though,” Cas said, turning back to the woman, “she’s not our daughter. We’re just watching her for the weekend while her parents get some much needed rest.”

“Oh, I apologize,” the woman said, embarrassed. “You guys just seemed like a happy couple,” she explained. “I’m sorry if I offended you.”

“It’s not a big deal,” Cas said with a smile. “We’re not offended.”

She smiled gratefully, though still slightly embarrassed, and walked away, offering a “Have a nice day,” as she did so.

“Why does everyone think we’re together?” Dean muttered, confused.

Cas just shrugged, avoiding his gaze. “Well, we do have a baby with us,” he said a moment later.

“Still,” Dean said, then shook his head. “Whatever.” He glanced at the shopping list. “We need peanut butter,” he said, starting down the aisle as Cas followed behind.

As if twice that day weren’t enough, their cashier thought they were together as well. Dean could tell by his facial expression that he was trying to figure out their relationship to each other.

Finally the boy looked like he was going to say something, but Dean cut him off before he could. “We’re not married and she’s not our daughter,” he said, and the boy reddened.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t sure. You look like you could be.”

“It’s fine,” Cas broke in. “We’ve been getting that a lot.”

The cashier nodded, flustered, and completed the rest of the transaction in silence. “Have a great day,” he said as they left.

\---

When Dean and Cas returned to their apartment, Cas offered to put the groceries away, leaving Dean in the living room to entertain Mason. Unfortunately, the peace didn’t last long as Mason began fussing and crying again, apparently in pain, and Dean and Cas were forced to spend the evening taking turns walking her around the house in an attempt to calm her down.

They got a brief reprieve when Jess emerged from the spare room to feed her again before bed, which gave them a chance to relax. Dean had figured they’d just hang out until Jess was finished and it was time to put Mason to sleep, but just after she took Mason from Dean’s arms, Cas stood up and said he was going to bed.

“Hey, are you all right?” Dean asked, frowning. “You’ve seemed kinda off today.”

“I’m fine, Dean,” Cas said, not meeting his eyes.

“Ca-as,” Dean cajoled, bending slightly so he was in Cas’ line of vision. “C’mon. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Cas said, looking away.

“Cas, I know you’re lying,” Dean sighed. “Is it… is it about the people thinking we’re dating and have a baby? I know it’s weird when people think you’re dating your best friend, but I’m not mad about it or anything.”

Cas took a deep breath and briefly closed his eyes. “I know, it’s just I… I kind of wish we were dating. And that maybe someday we _would_ have a daughter, or a son. But I know you don’t feel the same way, so you can forget I ever said this. It was just hard to keep hearing people point out something that I can’t have.”

Dean didn’t know what to say. Cas… wanted to date him? But they were just friends, he thought, even as a small voice in the back of his mind reminded him of all the times when he’d stared for too long into Cas’ impossibly blue eyes as they stared back into his green ones, or how sometimes Cas would do something so adorably innocent that Dean felt his heart clench with warm affection, or how they always seemed to end up in each other’s personal space without meaning to, or – okay, fine, the signs were there. Maybe Dean _did_ want to date Cas.

He frowned as more memories flooded into his head: Cas surprising him with a homemade pie after Dean had had a long week followed by Dean making homemade burgers for dinner the next night as a thank you, Cas spending all night comforting Dean on the anniversary of his mother’s death the year when Sam was forced to be out of town, the confused look Cas gave him whenever Dean fixed his backwards tie until he realized what Dean was doing…

Dean sighed, guessing he could also no longer ignore how his eyes sometimes lingered too long when Cas was wearing a particularly well-fitting pair of jeans or shirt, or how he sometimes looked at Cas’ lips and wondered briefly what it would feel like to have them pressing against his own lips, his neck, his – he shook himself out of his thoughts. He’d been standing there too long, and Cas had disappeared, most likely back to his room. That was probably a good thing, Dean mused as he followed Jess to the back room to put Mason to bed for the night, still lost in his thoughts.

“It’s hard being an adult,” Dean murmured, absentmindedly watching Mason for a moment after Sam and Jess headed to the kitchen to find something to eat. She stared at him and cooed happily as he gently stroked her soft hair then tucked her favorite blanket more snugly around her. He smiled softly down at her. “I mean, one day you’re just a regular guy with a steady job and a nice apartment and your best friend as a roommate, and the next you realize you might be in love with said best friend/roommate. And guess what? He’s in love with you too.” Mason was only a baby, but he swore her expression was telling him to bite the bullet and confess his feelings before it was too late. Or maybe that was just his brain telling him what he was afraid to acknowledge. “I know,” he said, and decided he must be crazy, having this conversation with an infant. “But, god, I’m scared. He means so much to me; I don’t want to lose him.”

“You won’t,” a voice said behind him, and Dean turned in surprise. Cas was standing in the doorway to the spare bedroom, gazing at him with a look of gentle affection.

“You… you heard that?” Dean asked.

Cas nodded and spoke again. “Dean, if you want this I’ll go at whatever pace you’re comfortable with; I’d never pressure you into anything and I won’t leave. Don’t feel like you have to do anything unless you’re sure about it.”

“I’m sure,” Dean said, carefully standing up and walking over to Cas. “I want this. I want you.” Before he could chicken out, he leaned down and kissed Cas, hands cautiously cupping the other man’s face. Cas tasted like mint toothpaste but with an underlying hint of sweetness, and Dean never wanted to forget it. It wasn’t a deep kiss, but it was thrilling nonetheless, and when their lips separated, Dean pressed his forehead against Cas’ and stared into those familiar eyes, brilliant blue.

The moment was interrupted by Mason gurgling happily, and Dean crossed the room to check on her once more before getting ready for bed. He sensed Cas walk up behind him, and reached for his hand, entwining their fingers together loosely.

“Someday,” he said softly and he knew Cas knew what he meant.

 

**Five years later…**

“So Mason was the one who brought you two together, Daddy?” Dean smiled down at his and Cas’ daughter before answering.

“She was a part of it, honey. I’m sure we would have figured out our feelings sooner or later though, even without her.” He glanced fondly at his husband sitting on the opposite side of Mary’s bed. She had requested that both of her dads tuck her in and tell her a bedtime story. Dean had chosen to tell her how he and Cas had finally gotten together; it was her favorite and she’d heard it many times, but she never got tired of it.

“Well, I already knew how I felt,” Cas teased. “It was your daddy who didn’t know.”

“Your papa’s always been the smart one,” Dean agreed, laughing along with Cas.

“But now you know you love each other,” Mary cut in.

“Yes, we do,” Cas confirmed. “And we love you too.” They each gave Mary a final hug and kiss before retiring to their own bedroom for the night, where Dean held his husband in his arms and reminded him again of just how much he loved him.

**Author's Note:**

> In case anyone is wondering (probably not), Mason was not named after Maison Collins - that was actually a coincidence.
> 
> Come find me on Tumblr at [thetideseternaltune](http://thetideseternaltune.tumblr.com/) (main blog) or [hunterangelkisses](http://hunterangelkisses.tumblr.com/) (SPN sideblog)!


End file.
